I'm With the Band
by jellybones
Summary: AU. Jackie and Donna are best friends at a boarding school, completely infatuated with a four man band. Can you guess who's in this band?
1. A Proposition

**Author's notes -- This story takes place in 1976 at a boarding school in Connecticut. It is completely AU. I hope you like it.  
-bunnyslopes**

"Oh my god!" squealed Jackie Burkhart frantically. She ran into her best friend Donna Pinciotti's dorm room, closing the door excitedly behind her. "Guess. What!" she exclaimed.

Donna looked up from her schoolwork. She had a paper due on Susan B. Anthony the following day, so she wasn't sure how much she appreciated Jackie barging in. On the other hand, Jackie was her best friend and she did need a break. She had been working for the past two hours. "What?" she humored her friend.

"Chrome is coming to Hartford next week! They're giving a special concert at the"-

Jackie's words were immediately cut off by Donna's ever-brightening expression. Donna leapt up off her bed and grabbed Jackie's hands. "Are you joking? Please tell me you're not joking?"

"Donna, I'm not. Let go of me," she shook her off and barrelled on. "So I was listening to the radio and 'You Make Me Real' came on. You know, their new single"-

"Yeah Jackie, I know," Donna said, "and it's called 'You Make Me Feel'."

"Whatever," Jackie moved on, "after it was over, the DJ said the guys will be here next week. And tickets go on sale tomorrow."

"Awesome! What time?" Donna asked hopefully.

"Nine AM," Jackie informed her.

"Nine AM?" Donna sunk down dejectedly onto her bed. "Oh my god, Jackie. I'm going to be in class. I have to present my paper on Susan B. Anthony."

Jackie screwed up her face thoughtfully. "Oh yeah. I kinda forgot about school. Hmm."

"Damn it, what are we going to do?" Donna asked. She leapt back up and started pacing around the room. Chrome was her favorite band in the world. When she had first heard the news that her parents were sending her away to boarding school so they could have more "alone time" together (whatever that meant), Chrome's music had gotten her through the transition. And now, two years later, she was sixteen and was still as big a Chrome fan as ever.

Jackie looked down at her worriedly. Jackie couldn't see what the big problem was. "Donna, I don't understand. Can't we just hang out at the club after and get their autographs? I mean, the concert is going to be kind of boring anyway."

"Boring?" Donna demanded. "Boring? Jackie, they're my favorite band. I love their music. I would kill to see them in concert."

"Alright, alright," Jackie said, backing off. "But don't come crying to me when you fall asleep watching that ten minute keyboard solo that Fez is famous for."

"That keyboard solo happens to be one of my favorite things on this earth," Donna said under bated breath. She was doing everything she could not to blow up at Jackie. They were best friends, but sometimes she got on her nerves. It was all a part of Jackie's charm -- she could say the most insensitive things with the most heartfelt intentions. Donna couldn't get too upset about it. After all, Jackie had made her life at school a lot happier, and a lot more fun.

Jackie sat down on the bed. "So you really want those tickets, huh?"

"Yes," Donna admitted, sitting beside her. "But it seems impossible. They're going to sell out in minutes, probably. Chrome is the hottest band in the country right now." She thought this over. "Come to think of it, the tickets will probably be a fortune. I don't know if I can pay that kind of money."

Jackie shrugged. "I have a ton of money left over from the last check my dad sent me. I can pay for it."

"Jackie..." Donna started. "I'm not going to take your money."

"Why? I'm giving it to you, aren't I? My dad will just send me more money in a week or so. It's no loss to me."

Donna should have realized this. Jackie was never hard-up for cash. Her dad was a wealthy politican in Wisconsin, and her mother made a pretty penny herself in real estate. The Burkharts had been able to pay for Jackie's tuition without help from scholarships. Donna, on the other hand, had been forced by her parents to apply for every single one she could find. Donna was from Wisconsin, like Jackie, but they had never known each other before Jackie came to La Pierre her freshman year of high school, Donna's sophomore year. Jackie had been introduced to Donna by the hall advisor because of their shared home state. Donna had been put off by Jackie's abrasive nature at first, but eventually she had come to find it endearing. Now she wasn't sure what she'd do without Jackie. It was nice having a best friend. She had never really had that, growing up in Wisconsin.

"So," Jackie said, happy that her friend had given in to her offer. "All we need to do is find someone to get the tickets for us."

"Yeah, but who's going to do that? Everyone has class." Donna thought this over.

"Oh!" Jackie squealed, shaking her bangle bracelets excitedly as she bounced up and down. "I've got the perfect solution. We pay someone off!"

"But who?" Donna inquired.

"Believe me," Jackie said with a curl of her dark eyebrows. "I know just the person."

A few minutes later, they found themselves outside of a door on the opposite side of the dorm hall. Donna kept looking down at Jackie. "You ring it," she urged her.

"You do it!" Jackie retorted, hands on hips.

"It was your idea," Donna pointed out.

"Fine, I'll do it, you big goon," Jackie snapped. She knocked on the door.

A moment passed. The two girls could hear music coming from inside the room. It sounded like Barry White, which made Jackie snicker into her manicured hands and Donna just roll her eyes. Of course she'd be listening to Barry White. Obviously.

The door finally opened. She opened it just a crack, so she could stick only her head out to see who was bothering her. Her hair was perfectly hot rollered as usual, bouncing around her face as she peered around the door. "Yes?" she asked in a false sweet voice.

"Hi," Donna greeted her.

"Laurie Forman," Jackie replied, her bitchy tone in tact. "How nice to see you."

Laurie snapped her hot pink bubble gum and tore her glance from Jackie to Donna. "What do you want?" she asked, dropping her sweet act.

Jackie turned on her charm instantly. "Well, Laurie, as you might have heard, Chrome is coming to Hartford next week." She paused for dramatic effect.

"Yes, I've heard," Laurie droned. "Continue."

"Alright, so Chrome is coming," Jackie said, smiling as she turned her palms up. "And we were wondering if you were interested in going."

"With you two?" Laurie asked, frowning. She let the door swing open a little more, revealing the fact that she was dressed in nothing but a rainbow striped tube top and short shorts. Jackie wrinkled her nose at this display, but Laurie went on, pretending not to notice. "No. I really wouldn't. Because here's the thing: I don't like either of you. Donna, I don't like you because you study too much. That's boring. Jackie, I don't like you because you think you're so perfect." She imitated Jackie, sashaying her hips and talking in a perky falsetto, "Oh my goodness, I am just so rich and so popular and pretty. Oh my god!" Her face grew dark again. "And quite frankly, I don't see any reason to grace either of you with my presence. Anything else?" She eyed them, looking bored.

"Okay," Donna said, annoyed. "Let's just cut to the chase. We need tickets for the Chrome concert. And they go on sale at 9am tomorrow. We'll both be in class."

"So will I," Laurie pointed out, her eyes narrowed to tiny slits as she glared at them.

"We know that," Jackie said. "And I would totally bitch you out right now if I didn't need your help."

Donna cut off her friend. "But, we do need your help. We'd be willing to pay you to get the tickets for us."

Laurie cracked her gum. "How much?"

"Twenty dollars," Jackie blurted out.

Laurie burst out laughing. "Nice try, cupcake. See, I'm learning French. What is it the French say? Au revoir? Au revoir, lame-o's." She began to shut the door but Donna wedged her foot in between the door and the frame.

"I don't think so," Donna said boldly. "We'll match your price. Just tell us what you want."

Jackie gave Donna an indignant glare but Donna didn't back down. Laurie was a year older than Donna -- a senior. She had been around the block, so to speak. She had quite the reputation. But Donna wasn't scared of her. Donna wasn't scared of anyone. She was pretty tough herself. Laurie studied Donna curiously before opening the door again. "Alright. Fifty dollars."

"Fine," Jackie said snobbily. "So I'll give you the money for the tickets and you'll get your pay off when you deliver them to us."

"I don't think so, honey," Laurie said, offering her hand. "Money comes to mama, then tickets go to baby." She smiled meanly at Jackie.

Jackie rolled her eyes and pulled a giant wad of cash out of her tight pink pants. She counted out the money for the tickets and for Laurie's pay and slapped it down in the blonde's waiting hand.

"Thanks, darlings," Laurie said, smiling sweetly. "Now if you don't mind, I have to get back to my boy toy. Bye bye." She closed the door in their faces.

"Oh my god, I can't believe we're entrusting all my money to that... whore!" Jackie yelled.

Donna began to steer her away from Laurie's door. "Just think, Jackie. At this time tomorrow, we'll have our Chrome tickets. And Laurie will be out of our hair for good."

"Yeah right," Jackie said, rolling her eyes. "She's probably spending my Daddy's hard earned money on cigarettes and hairspray. I mean, I can understand the hairspray, but cigarettes?"

"Come on, Jackie," Donna urged her. "Just think about Chrome. Think about Fez."

"Fez?" Jackie wrinkled her nose for the fortieth time that day. "I know he's your favorite, Donna, but ew. Honestly, ew!"

"Alright, fine, fine," Donna said. "Think of Eric then."

Jackie smiled warmly. "Okay!" She seemed to get lost in a dream world. "He's just so... hunky!" She giggled. "The way he plays guitar... and sings. It's like I can get lost in his eyes." She sighed happily.

Donna rolled her eyes. "Well, just keep thinking. Eric. Eric. Eric."

"All I can think about is whorey Laurie taking my money and taking my dreams of Eric away from me," Jackie sighed.

"I'll kick her ass, trust me," Donna ensured her friend. "Now let's go to dinner."

"Okay," Jackie exclaimed. "We can discuss what we're wearing to the concert!"

Donna groaned. "Do we have to?"

"Of course, I'm not letting you go as a lumberjack, Donna!" Jackie exclaimed, hitting her friend on the shoulder as they exited the dorm hall.

Neither of them saw Laurie Forman standing in the window upstairs, smirking at them as they made their way towards the dining hall. "Suckers," she said with a laugh, before she slid the curtains shut.


	2. Roadblocks

Jackie tapped her pencil nervously against her desk. She knew it was an annoying sound, but whatever. She was anxious, and her trigonometry class was dreadfully boring. She continued even when the girl next to her shot her a dirty look. Jackie just reciprocated. Dirty looks were her speciality. She was, after all, a cheerleader. Not just any cheerleader either. She was elected varisty cheerleader by the highest margin in La Pierre history. For that, she had to love her boarding school. The people there obviously had great taste.

Except for maybe Laurie Forman. Jackie had barely slept the night before. How stupid could she and Donna have been? Sure, Laurie was probably the only person in their school that could be bought off to skip class. Pretty much everyone there was completely dedicated to school. And if they weren't, they were wealthy enough to laugh at Jackie's offerings. Laurie was the only person who didn't fall into one of those categories.

Trig couldn't end soon enough. As soon as her teacher had assigned homework, Jackie dashed out of the classroom. It was a little after 10am. Jackie easily navigated the halls until she reached the eleventh grade history room, where she caught Donna coming out.

"Donna!" Jackie hissed. "Come over here."

Donna rolled her eyes and walked over to the water fountain, where Jackie was standing with hands on hips. "What is it?"

"We need to find Laurie," Jackie whined. "I can't stand waiting another minute. If she stole my daddy's money, I swear..."

Donna looked down at her friend curiously. "I thought you said that your dad would send you another check. You said it didn't matter."

"God, Donna, money doesn't grow on trees or anything," Jackie scoffed. "I would think you of all people should know that. Besides, I'd rather be spending that money on new wedges and dresses instead of letting it burn a hole in whorey Laurie's pocket."

"Well, as well and good as that all is," Donna began, "the whole point of giving Laurie your money was so that we could see Chrome. In case you've forgotten."

"No, I haven't," Jackie replied. "In fact, when I haven't been mentally beating up Laurie in my head, I've been planning our outfits! I thought I could wear my burgundy velvet jacket..."

Jackie's style ramblings were cut off when Laurie came sauntering up. La Pierre students had to follow a rather strict dress code when in class, but Laurie always managed to get away with manipulating it somehow. Her button-up shirt was tied in a provocative knot just above her belly button, and her pinstriped skirt was rolled up several times so it fell mid-thigh, instead of below the knee like the other girls' skirts. She was smirking heavily as she approached Jackie and Donna, and Jackie couldn't help but roll her eyes. Donna immediately hit her shoulder, and Jackie let out a frustrated sigh. She complied, though, and pasted on a friendly smile.

"So, have our tickets?" she asked Laurie.

Laurie bit her lip. "Well, maybe I do and maybe I don't. But I've decided that things aren't going to be so easy."

"Easy?" Donna asked. "Laurie, we paid you fifty dollars."

"Yes, but I know that money came from Jackie's daddy," Laurie said, emphasizing the word 'daddy' in a baby voice. "And I think it's a shame that Mr. Burkhart has to work so hard so his daughter and her friend can go to a concert that he'll never reap the benefits of."

"If you're so concerned about work ethic," Jackie quipped, "why don't you start charging your clients more?"

"Wow, that was so witty that I'm just floored," Laurie said with a shake of her fluffy hair. "Now, down to business. See, when I bought the tickets for Chrome's show, I happened to win a backstage pass."

"What?!" Donna exclaimed. Her hands flew up to her face in excitement. "Oh my god, Laurie, that's great!"

"Not so fast, Big Red," Laurie interrupted. "See, I happened to buy myself a Chrome ticket too. And since the only reason these tickets are in your hands right now," she said, dumping two tickets into Donna's outstretched hands, "is because of moi," she said roughly, "then I think this backstage pass should go to me."

"Hold the phone!" Jackie yelled. "That is SO not fair."

Donna and Jackie watched as Laurie slipped a golden card with the letters BACKSTAGE PASS -- CHROME on it around her neck. The cord was just the right length for the pass to dangle appropriately against her chest. Laurie just smiled. "Life isn't fair, sweetie."

Jackie started to lunge at Laurie, but Donna stopped her. "Come on, Jackie. I'm as pissed as you are, but it's not worth getting suspended for."

Laurie's eyes danced darkly. "Good to know you've got your priorities straight. See you at the Chrome show... you know, if I'm not too busy with Eric." She grinned at Jackie again, tempting her to attack.

Jackie let out a yowl and reached for Laurie, but again Donna blocked her. Laurie meandered off, her heeled shoes clicking against the tiles as she disappeared into the crowd.

"That bitch!" Jackie yelped helplessly. "Eric is all mine!"

Donna sighed. "I can't believe she's doing this."

"Why did we trust her with the money, Donna? Why?" Jackie complained. She snatched her ticket out of Donna's hands and examined it.

"Well, we might not have gotten the backstage pass, even if we had gone to get the tickets ourselves," Donna pointed out. "I have no idea how Laurie won the pass."

Jackie scowled. "Whatever. All it means is that this money was a waste. I didn't even want to see them in concert. I just want to meet them, so Eric can see how beautiful I am, and fall in love with me!"

Donna rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's likely."

"Donna, my beauty is enchanting," Jackie exclaimed. "Men can't help but lose their senses whenever I come around."

Donna laughed a little. "Well, then I guess you don't have to get backstage for Eric to notice you. He'll just be magnetically pulled to you in the crowd."

"Donna, this is serious!" Jackie chastised her. She then paused for a moment, a light passing through her eyes. "Oh my god! I've got the perfect plan!"

Donna looked doubtful, but complied. "What is it?"

"We sneak backstage," Jackie offered with much grandeur, clapping her hands as she bobbed up and down excitedly.

Donna's expression moved from doubtful to confused to hopeful. "You really think that would work?" she asked.

"Sure," Jackie nodded, as they began to walk to their next classes. "Women are always more likely to get invited backstage. Besides, I can be very persuasive."

"That's true," Donna said, arcing her eyebrow. "We're going to need to discuss this a little more. How about we meet after school in my dorm room? We need a foolproof plan."

Jackie enthusiastically giggled. "Yes, we do! I'll see you then!" She scampered off, leaving Donna wondering exactly how this was going to work. Normally she wasn't so keen on following Jackie's ideas, but this was Chrome -- her absolute favorite band in the world. She would do just about everything to be able to meet them and tell them how much they meant to her throughout the years.

The rest of the school day passed by slowly. After classes were over, Jackie went back to her dorm room to change into her afternoon outfit. Unlike Donna, Jackie's parents had splurged on a private room for their daughter. Jackie didn't have to worry about annoying roommates, and was able to decorate her dorm just how she liked it. She wanted to paint the walls pink, but that wasn't allowed. Instead she had hung sparkly lights, posters, and filled the room to the brim with pink, flowery things and stuffed animals. She smiled as she entered into her flowery paradise and painstakingly selected the perfect outfit. She changed into it and walked purposefully to Donna's room, which was downstairs.

Donna was glad her roommate was gone. Her roommate was a pretty social person, which meant she wasn't around a lot. This gave Donna plenty of time to study and relax, which she was grateful for. And now, it gave her and Jackie plenty of time to scheme.

"Come in," she said, when she heard Jackie's familiar knock on the door. Jackie barged in, looking overdressed as always. While Donna had just changed into a t-shirt and jeans, Jackie had dressed herself in a denim skirt, a hot pink peasant top and a rainbow colored scarf tied delicately around her neck. Donna had come to expect this from her friend. Jackie dressed down wasn't a Jackie that existed.

"I brought some supplies," Jackie said happily, settling onto the bed. She held up a few things. "I brought a notebook," she said, showing Donna a light pink notebook covered in hearts, "because all of your notebooks are plain and boring. We need color so we can think!" She held up a pen with a large plume on the top. "And a matching writing utensil," she said, adding the pen to the stack. "I also brought the newest Tiger Beat," she said. She subscribed to Sixteen, Tiger Beat and Teen, and so she always had all the newest gossip about celebrities down pat before Donna even knew a word of it. "There's a whole section about Chrome!" Jackie exclaimed, flipping the magazine open to the page.

Donna looked down at the spread. On the first page a large marquee read "Chrome -- America's hottest band!" Below this was a picture of each of the guys, with some facts about them. Donna scanned the page to see if there was anything of interest, but before she could get too far in, Jackie snatched the magazine away from her.

"Alright, here's the run down," she announced. "Eric," she said flirtaciously, "is a Pisces. While he may seem like a bad boy with rockstar hair and charm," she gushed, "he's really just a sensitive soul. His favorite things are Star Wars, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and tattoos." Jackie giggled. "Wow, he's such a man!"

"Are you kidding?" asked Donna, cocking an eyebrow. "Read to me about Fez!" she said.

Jackie started reading. "Fez is a Cancer. He's into traveling, women and dancing passionately with those who can feel the beat like he can. Our favorite keyboardist is also interested in candy," she went on. "As every woman knows, the key to a man's heart is food." She set the magazine down.

"Well, read about the others too," Donna suggested. "You can't just leave them out."

"Alright," Jackie said with a sigh. "Kelso is the mysterious drummer of Chrome. He is an Aries who appreciates good jokes, exotically beautiful women, and dogs." She thought about this for a minute. "Well, he's no Eric, but I sure do love a mysterious man."

"Read to me about Hyde," Donna said dreamily, falling back onto her bed to stare up at her poster of the four guys that was tacked to her ceiling.

"Okay. Hyde is the bassist. Duh," she added. "He's a Sagittarius who likes leather, motorcycles, and hard rock. He likes a girl who's not afraid to be tough. Sounds like you Donna," Jackie said with a grin.

"Mmm," Donna said, lost in her thoughts.

"Let's get to it," Jackie said, tapping the bed impatiently. She opened up her notebook and began to write. "So, what do we have to do?"

"We need to figure out what the security is like," Donna said, drifting back to reality. She sat up and faced Jackie. "This is at a club, right?"

"Yeah," Jackie answered. "Wait, yeah it is. Oh my god! I just had a thought. Laurie's eighteen, right?"

"Yeah..." Donna replied, unsure of where Jackie was headed.

"Crap!" Jackie said. "Okay, well think of it this way. Clubs usually only let people over eighteen in."

"Yeah?" Donna asked. Just then, what Jackie was trying to explain hit her. "Oh my god! You don't think she would?"

"Sure she would, Donna!" Jackie said. "She's Laurie Forman. It's not like she's made of sugar and spice and everything nice."

Donna thought this over. What if it was true? What if you had to be eighteen to get into the club? What if Laurie knew this and bought the tickets anyway? Jackie and Donna would get sent away. And Laurie would be inside, laughing at them.

Donna and Jackie were both quiet for a while, feeling crestfallen. Finally Donna began thinking again. "Jackie, we don't know for sure that the club is eighteen plus. We need to find out."

"So who would know?" Jackie asked.

"Any of the seniors who are already eighteen," Donna replied.

"Okay, so we find someone and ask," Jackie said slowly.

"Yeah." Donna got up.

"Wait, where are you going?" Jackie demanded.

"We'd better find out, Jackie," Donna told her. "You know, all this planning will be worthless if we can't even get into the club."

Fifteen minutes later, they were back. The head cheerleader had confirmed their fears -- eighteen plus. Donna looked dejected, and Jackie looked like she might cry. They sat there in silence, looking sadly at the pictures of Chrome in the Tiger Beat magazine. It was Donna who broke the silence.

"What about fake IDs?"

"What about them-" Jackie's eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh my god! Donna, you're a genius!"

Donna smiled confidently. She knew that it wasn't too late. They would be seeing Chrome, no matter what obstacle came their way. After all -- she and Jackie probably wouldn't survive knowing Eric, Kelso, Hyde and Fez were nearby, and not being able to see them. No way.

Jackie scampered to her feet to work the social scene to figure out what she could about fake IDs. Meanwhile Donna drifted back into her blissful place, thoughts of Chrome filling her brain. 


	3. The Club

Jackie smiled eagerly as Russ Evans slipped her a small laminated card. "Thank you SO much, Russ," she cooed at him as she took her newly made fake ID. 

Donna stepped out from behind Jackie to take hers from Russ. "Yeah, thanks Russ. We really appreciate you doing this on such short notice."

"No problem," he said. "It's a business." He shrugged and headed off.

Jackie grabbed Donna by the wrist and excitedly ran over to the side of the dining hall, where they wouldn't be seen by anyone, particularly teachers. "Let's look at our IDs!" she said.

Donna turned hers over and immediately raised her eyebrows in confusion. "What the hell?" She was looking down at a picture of a blonde woman of about 25. "This doesn't look anything like me. Reba Smitty? 6'1"? From South Carolina?"

Jackie was too busy being outraged about her own ID to look at Donna's. "Donna, can we please focus on me? This is horrible!" She passed her ID to Donna to reveal a rather unattractive Hispanic woman. "He made me foreign, Donna!" She looked down at the card. "And my name is Betsy Margarita! What a joke!"

"This is such a rip off," said Donna. "I guess getting last minute fake IDs is a bad idea. Russ didn't have time to take pictures of us."

Jackie made a whining noise. "Donna, they're going to think I'm a foreigner. How am I supposed to live with that?"

"I'm out of ideas, Jackie," Donna said dejectedly. "I don't know if there's anything else we can do."

The two friends sighed, realizing their defeat. "I want my money back from Russ," Jackie grumbled. "And from stupid Laurie."

"I don't think there's much we can do about that," Donna replied.

Jackie's eyes suddenly lit up. She stood up straight and turned to Donna. "Oh my god. You know what we could do?"

"What?" Donna asked.

"Make ourselves look like the people in our IDs," Jackie began.

"You want to look like a foreigner?"

"No! But as soon as we get into the club we can run to the bathroom and I can turn back into my beautiful self," Jackie explained, nodding enthusiastically.

"That could potentially work," Donna began, "but don't you think it'd be worth it to try getting into the club as we are? We could always say the pictures are old. And it'll probably be dark."

Jackie shrugged. "I guess it could work."

So that's why, that Friday night, Jackie and Donna were standing in the long line outside of the club, looking exactly like themselves. Jackie's hair was stacked onto her head, loose curls falling down on her bare shoulders. She was wearing a sleek purple dress with a short, fuzzy silver jacket and silver heels. Her dark make-up made her look older than fifteen, though she still probably couldn't pass for a day over seventeen. Donna on the other hand had opted for a simpler outfit. She was dressed in a sparkly striped tank top with tight black pants and wedge heels. The two friends stood in line, trying to look like they weren't completely out of place.

"Look, Donna," Jackie hissed, "there are so many people from La Pierre here! People that aren't even eighteen."

Donna gazed around the crowd and noticed that Jackie was right. Tons of kids Donna and Jackie's age were milling around, trying to look older by smoking cigarettes and standing up taller. Donna was busy watching a tenth grade boy in a suit who stood out completely when Jackie nudged her in the ribs. "Donna!" Jackie whispered. "The line is moving. Do you have the tickets?"

"Yeah," Donna said, patting her back pocket. "They're right here."

"And you have your ID?" Jackie asked, bouncing nervously on her heels.

"Yes, Jackie," Donna assured her. "Chill out."

"I can't help it! Just think about it, Donna. Three hours from now... we could be backstage. Hanging out with Chrome."

"Oh my god," Donna said, trying to contain her excitement. "I'm going to die if they don't let us in. And right after that, I'm going to kick Laurie Forman's ass."

"But you'll be dead, Donna," Jackie said, her mouth hanging open.

"Whatever, I'll haunt that bitch," Donna mumbled.

Jackie couldn't help but laugh. "I think we look pretty good," she said confidently. "We definitely look older."

"Yeah," Donna agreed. "But it's hard to say if we actually look eighteen."

"Oh my god!" Jackie cried. The line was moving quicker now. "Look at that." She pointed to a crowd of sixteen and seventeen year old girls who were turned away from the entrance. A couple of them were in tears. "Donna, that could be us!"

"They didn't even have IDs," Donna informed her. She pulled the tickets out of her pants pocket and handed one to Jackie. "Come on, we can do this." She was trying to feel sure of herself but it wasn't working that well. Whenever she thought about Fez and the other hot, talented musicians in Chrome... she just about lost it.

Soon they were at the front of the line. "IDs please," the bored security guard said.

Jackie and Donna nonchalantly handed over their IDs. "Here you go," Jackie said. "We go to clubs all the time. Because we're in our early twenties. You know, because we're able to go to clubs and everything." Donna shot her a look to stop talking and Jackie shut up.

"Go on in," the guard said without so much as a look. He handed their IDs back to them and Jackie and Donna walked in, dazed.

"Oh my gosh!" Jackie squealed quietly into Donna's ear as they stepped into the small, smoky bar.

Donna couldn't help but let the excitement wash over her. People were milling everywhere -- getting drinks, finding seats by the stage. The stage! There was no one on it yet but she could make out a keyboard, a drumset and a microphone. The bass drum had Chrome's logo on it, shining brightly under the stage lights. "Wow," she said softly.

Jackie grabbed her arm. "Come on, Donna! Let's go get a drink!"

Jackie was never much for drinking in school, but now that she was faced with a bar she seemed to want to take the opportunity to sample something. She pulled Donna over and sank into one of the stools, forcing her friend down beside her. The barkeeper looked up, smiling lecherously at the two girls. "What'll it be, gals?" he asked.

"Red wine for me," Jackie replied, tossing her head back classily. Jackie always had an air about her that showed off flawlessly just how wealthy she was. Donna was used to it by now, but she had to admit she had found it a little annoying when she had first met her.

"I'll just have a beer," Donna said.

The barkeeper turned away and Jackie giggled happily and swiveled in her seat so she was facing Donna. "I can't believe we got in," she said softly. "The bouncer barely even looked at us!"

"Thank god for Russ Evans," Donna replied. The bartender returned with their drinks and set them down in front of them. Donna began sipping her beer. Jackie, on the other hand, stared curiously at her wine.

"I've never actually had wine, Donna," Jackie admitted, like she was telling Donna the biggest secret in the world. "Want to know something?" she asked, leaning in. "I've never had any alcohol, ever."

Donna had barely had any herself, but since she was a year older than Jackie she had had a little more experience in the La Pierre party circuit. "Really?" Donna asked, pretending to be surprised. She knew that was what Jackie wanted. Sometimes it was easier to give her what she wanted than to argue.

"I know, it's shocking," Jackie went on. She picked up the wine glass. "I do know how to hold a wine glass, though," she explained. "I've seen my parents drink enough to know. They have fancy parties a lot," she told Donna. She took a sip of wine and made a sour face. "Eww."

"Wine is pretty bitter," Donna told her.

"Well, it's something classy ladies drink," Jackie said, shaking off the flavor and finishing off the glass. "And I am a classy lady," she said proudly, wiping the deep red shine off her lips. She smiled, pleased with herself, at Donna. "Get me another one, Mr. Bartender," she said happily.

"Coming right up, miss," he replied, winking at her.

Donna raised an eyebrow. "He's kind of sleazy."

"Yeah," Jackie said with a shrug. "But my good looks have been known to create havoc, even with the most unattractive men. I figure maybe he'll give us our drinks for free."

"Jackie..." Donna said, eyeing her with disdain.

"What, Donna?" Jackie asked, taking her newly delivered wine glass in her hand. "Thank you, sir," she said warmly to the barkeep, who grinned back at her. She turned to Donna again. "Why not? If you have the powers, why not use them?"

Donna shrugged. "Because it's sexist? Because using your sex appeal to get something from men shows them that we're nothing more than something physical. You should use your wit or your mind to get what you want."

Jackie rolled her eyes. "Are you done with the feminist lesson? Because we've been friends for over a year and you still haven't learned how great men can lose all their greatness just for looking at Jackie Burkhart. There's just no hope in trying to stop it." She polished off her second glass of wine.

Donna couldn't help but laugh. Jackie's logic was ridiculous, but she wasn't going to be the one to question it. She finished her beer and was just about to ask for another one when she heard it. They both heard it. They turned around immediately when the announcer's voice began booming through the room.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! The one, the only... CHROME!!!"

* * *

"Bloody hell," complained Hyde as he pulled on his leather vest. "Where's my body lube?"

"I don't know why you bother with that," Fez replied. "The girls are not going to think your shiny abs are sexy. They'll be too busy running because of your tattoos."

Hyde smiled darkly as he looked down at the tattoos that wound around his muscular upper arms. He had four on each. On his left arm he had a skull going up in flames. Below that it said EDNA HYDE, in honor of his late mother. On his right arm he had a grim reaper sitting next to a naked mermaid. On both arms were anarchy symbols and barbed wire that wrapped itself all the way around his biceps and onto his shoulders where it ended in words spelling out REBELLION. His tattoos were often the subject of many magazine articles about the band, which he knew pissed off his bandmates. He liked rubbing body lube on his torso, because it made his tattoos look brighter and it made him look more dangerous and sexual, he figured. "Shut up, I know you took it," he said, giving Fez a small punch on the arm.

"I did not," Fez said, adjusting his sequined body suit. "I already told you that I would rather shine with sequins than with lube."

At that moment Kelso, the drummer, came wandering in. He tossed a tube of lube at Hyde. "There's your lube," he said. His dark hair was swept over his forehead as usual, obscuring his eyes into darkness. His tight black shirt and leather pants made him look even more mysterious than normal. "Eric needed it," he explained.

"For what?" Hyde cracked. "He's not in the bathroom alone again, is he?"

Eric came out, his long hair sweeping over his shoulders dramatically. He was dressed in a leather ensemble similar to Kelso's but with high heeled boots and several tattoos on his buff arms. "No, you fool," he spoke deeply. "I was polishing my guitar. You put a little of that stuff on a rag and rub it just right, the wood will shine for days."

"Polishing your guitar, alright," Hyde laughed. "We all know what you were really up to, man."

Kelso took a seat in one of the elaborate armchairs that the backstage crew had provided for them. He looked lost in a world of his own, drumming his hands over his legs.

"Kelso," Fez said, "let's run over the part in 'Cosmic Girl' one more time."

"Alright," he replied. One thing about Kelso was that he never let anything on. He even liked to play with his back to the audience. He had a big fan base because of this, which made everyone else in the band pretty annoyed. Just because he had stage fright and was slightly 'mysterious', didn't mean he should get all the girls falling over him. Tensions in the band were usually running high for one reason or another. But all of it helped them create incredible music.

As Fez began pounding on his keytar, Kelso moved his sticks agilely over a makeshift drumkit made up of a couple boxes, a trashcan and a metal pipe. On the other side of the room Eric took a seat next to Hyde, who was busy applying the lube on his arms and chest.

"There's a lot of hot ladies out there tonight," Hyde said with a laugh. "Mmm, mmm good, as my friends at Campbells would say."

"Yeah," Eric said in agreement. "I'd like to get in on that. But I keep thinking about Lacey."

"Lacey, man?" Hyde said with a scowl. "Dude, just because you banged her for a week straight doesn't mean you owe her anything."

"That isn't really what happened, man," Eric explained. "After the tour in Seattle when we met, we kept in touch. I've seen her a few times since then. I even met her folks."

"So what? What she doesn't know won't hurt her." Hyde went back to polishing his abs and back, now wet looking and shiny in the dim lighting.

Eric shrugged and thought quietly while listening to his bandmates practice. He pictured Lacey's smiling face. She believed in him. She trusted him...

* * *

"Chrome! Oh my god!" Jackie said, jumping up and slapping a few bills down onto the bar.

"But what about using your looks to get free drinks?" Donna asked.

"Whatever, it'll take too long!" Jackie shouted, grabbing Donna and racing over to the stage.

White lights were swirling around the stage hypnotically. Jackie and Donna maneuvered their way through the crowd until they got to the front. They saw four silhouettes emerge. Donna let out a scream and Jackie began bouncing with excitement.

A guitar chord droned and suddenly the music came alive and the lights grew brighter. Eric was standing in front of them -- just a few feet away! Jackie could feel her heart pounding in her chest and she looked up and saw his eyes, dark with make-up but so full of soul and heart and feeling. She practically swooned when he began pounding on his guitar. "Eric!" She screamed, and she swore he looked down and smiled at her. Smiled!

Meanwhile Donna's attention was focused on Fez. Fez was dressed flamboyantly as usual, his fingers working over his keyboard nimblely. He was tapping his foot to the beat as Kelso pounded fervently on the drumset, facing the back wall where nobody could see his face. And Hyde -- Hyde was looking hot, Donna thought. His shiny muscles were flexing as his arms reached to hit the right notes on his bass. The way he moved was so sexual... so animalistic.

"Look at Hyde," Donna said, fanning herself at the feeling of being so close to her favorite band.

Jackie wrinkled her nose. She turned her attention back to Eric, who had just begun to sing, his voice growling out as the song built.

Jackie and Donna danced along with it as the pace picked up. "This is awesome!" Jackie yelled to her friend and Donna nodded in agreement.

They managed to dance through the first five songs and then the guys stopped playing. Once the applause had died down somewhat, Eric stepped forward to the microphone. "Hey, Hartford," he said, his hair falling into his face.

Jackie practically died. "Donna, he is so hot!" She exploded.

"We're going to take a twenty minute intermission," he explained, "so get some drinks and then come on back to see us." He waved and the four guys retreated back where they had come from.

"Can you believe it?" Donna exclaimed. "I can't believe we were so close to them! We could have reached out and touched Eric's leg if we wanted to!"

"Ahhh!" Jackie yelped. "This is so, so cool."

"The music was amazing," Donna went on. "When Hyde took that bass solo I thought I was going to die."

Just then Jackie felt a tap on her shoulder. She whipped around and saw a man in a three piece suit with a clipboard standing behind her. "Yeah?" she asked. Donna looked on curiously.

The man looked from Jackie to Donna. "You have both been requested by members of the band to come backstage after the show," he explained. "I'm the tour manager for Chrome and they usually choose several..." he looked at them, pained, "women... to come backstage with them."

Their jaws dropped. "They asked for us?" Donna demanded.

"Oh my god!" Jackie shouted. "Who? Which one asked for me?"

"Was it Fez? Did Fez ask for me?" Donna exploded.

"Did Eric ask for me?" asked Jackie excitedly.

"Well, it was"- the man began.

But he didn't get to finish. A familiar voice interrupted him. "Hey girls," said Laurie Forman, sauntering up to them, waving her backstage pass around. "Guess you get to join me back there after all. Too bad, huh? Doubt they'll want either of you after I get through with them. Well, see you later."

Jackie and Donna stared after her and the man clumsily handed them passes. "Here you are," he said, before walking off into the crowd.

"Wait!" Donna yelled. "You never told us who asked for us!"

"Wait!" Jackie cried helplessly, running after him as fast as her heels could take her.


End file.
